Monthly archives: June 2008

Jun

27

2008

(6.27.08) (CNN) — The North Pole may be briefly ice-free by September as global warming melts away Arctic sea ice, according to scientists from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado. Scientists say it’s a 50-50 bet that the thin Arctic sea ice will completely melt away at the geographic North Pole. Scientists say it’s a 50-50 bet that the thin Arctic sea ice will completely melt away at the geographic North Pole. “We kind of have an informal betting pool going around in our center and that betting pool is ‘does the North Pole melt out this summer?’ and it may well,” said the center’s senior research scientist Mark Serreze. It’s a 50-50 bet that the thin Arctic sea ice, which was frozen last autumn, will completely melt away at the geographic North Pole, Serreze said. The ice retreated to a record level in September when the Northwest Passage — the sea route through the Arctic Ocean — opened up briefly for the first time in recorded history. Read more

Jun

22

2008

(6.17.08) Drought conditions deteriorated across parts of the continental U.S., according to the June 17 U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) map. Extreme drought conditions expanded across most of southern Texas and southern New Mexico. Exceptional drought conditions were present across the southern High Plains, and parts of the southern Atlantic states. Drought conditions slightly improved in western North Dakota, where drought conditions dropped from extreme to severe. As of June 17, 36% of the western U.S., 48% of the South, 18% of the High Plains, 62% of the Southeast, and 30% of the contiguous U.S. were in moderate to exceptional drought, according to the USDM Read more

Jun

22

2008

(6.14.08) MEXICO CITY, June 13 (Xinhua) — At least 211,358 inhabitants in 44 municipalities of the Mexican state of Veracruz were affected by tropical storm “Arthur”, Veracruz Civil Protection Ministry said Friday. Rains will continue on Saturday and Sunday and more people are predicted to be left homeless, the Hydrometeorology Bureau of the Water National Commission said. The Civil Protection Ministry suggested Friday the Mexican government declare a state of emergency in the 44 municipalities. Read more

Jun

20

2008

(6.16.08)Torrential rain and floods across southern China have claimed at least 57 lives over the past 10 days, the government said Sunday. Heavy rain has caused the Guijiang River to break its banks and flood houses in Zhaoping county’s villages in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Till Sunday, the water had disrupted the lives of more than 120,000 people in the county. [China Daily] More than 18 million people in Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region have been hit by the floods. And about 1.3 million people have been moved to safer places in those places, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said. The economic loss because of the rain and floods has reached 10.6 billion yuan ($1.5 billion), with crops on 902,000 hectares being destroyed. More than 45,000 houses have collapsed and 140,000 houses have been damaged. Read more

Jun

20

2008

The most severe drought for 100 years in Australia is getting worse. Farmers warn that this winter’s wheat crop could be even smaller than last year’s if rain does not come soon. Most Australian grain is exported and empty (6.18.08) Outback grain silos have contributed to shortages and rising global prices. Australia is the third-biggest wheat exporter behind the U.S. and Canada. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports. Read more

Jun

20

2008

(6.19.08)Bombala Division B moved from marginal to drought and Division A moved from satisfactory to drought this week, with the whole of the board now considered in drought. The latest drought figures show 62.7% of the State in drought (up from 48.4%), and 23.7% experiencing marginal conditions (up from 23.6%). Just 13.6% of the State is classified as satisfactory (down from 28%). �These figures speak for themselves – unfortunately this month has seen a dramatic increase in the area affected by drought,� Minister Macdonald said. Read more

Jun

18

2008

)6.15.08) BEIJING, China (CNN) — Flooding has killed 55 people and forced more than a million to flee their homes across a stretch of southwestern China, including the earthquake-ravaged Sichuan province, state media reported Sunday. Authorities said that torrential rains are expected to pound the region for another 10 days raising water levels further, according to the news agency Xinhua. advertisement The flood has hit nine provinces the hardest — including Sichuan, which is still reeling from a 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck southwestern China on May 12. Read more

Jun

08

2008

(6.6.08)Colombia’s rainy season has seen a number of serious and fatal landslides across western and central parts of the country and travellers should avoid going to the affected areas, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office warns. Heavy rains since April have caused flooding and mudslides and last weekend 27 people were killed in a landslide in the city of Medellin, officials told the AFP news agency. The FCO reports that the road between Bogota and Villavicencio, the area between Boyaca and Casanare, northern Tolima, Caldas, Antioquia and Norte de Santander have all been badly affected by mudslides. Read more

Jun

08

2008

(6.8.08) Two people were killed in Hong Kong yesterday as record rainfall triggered flooding and landslides. More than 400 flights were delayed. The two landslide victims died after being trapped under a collapsed concrete slab in Tuen Mun, the government said on its Web site, reporting a total of 39 landslides. Hong Kong recorded more than 145 millimeters of rain between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. yesterday, the highest hourly rainfall since records began, the Hong Kong Observatory said. The city issued a “black rainstorm warning,” the highest level of weather alert, yesterday morning to encourage people to stay indoors and urge companies not to expect employees to report for work. All warnings were canceled yesterday afternoon. Read more

Jun

08

2008

(5.16.08) “The number of people killed due to the storms that lashed various parts of the state on Wednesday has climbed to 94,” State Relief Commissioner GK Tandan said Friday. Tandan noted that most of the deaths were caused by incidents of fires in huts, house collapses and uprooting of trees. Almost half of the deaths were reported from the areas of Firozabad, Kannauj, Kanpur Dehat and Etawah. Local media meanwhile said that the actual death toll could be higher than the official figure. The Asian Age newspaper reported that at least 124 people were killed in the storms. Officials in Uttar Pradesh say emergency meals and medical help are being provided to storm-stricken people. Read more